Mine
by crashing-avalanches
Summary: Songfic to Taylor Swift's "Mine". Kise Ryouta and Kuroko Tetsuya; one with a broken past; one with a broken heart. They were the best thing that they could ever call "mine" in their entire life. Written for hanaderp on Twitter.


_**You were in college working part-time waiting tables**_

_**Left a small town never looked back**_

_**I was a flight risk, with a fear of falling**_

_**Wondering why we bothered with love if it never lasts**_

"Eh…? Kuroko-cchi?"

He jumped the moment the customer addressed him with such familiarity. He lifted his eyes from the notepad that he had been scribbling on, making a note that there was no more spaghetti bolognaise for the day.

There was no mistaking that shock of blonde hair, the ever-present smile that had graced numerous magazines and that lean body that could copy any move that he saw.

It was Kise Ryouta.

Kuroko's jaw dropped as he registered his former middle school teammate staring at him from the table that he was seated at. Since moving to Osaka, he had never expected to see any of his old teammates again, neither from Seirin nor from Teikou.

However, Kise Ryouta was sitting here right here in the flesh.

It couldn't be better. First it had been Taiga calling him from America, telling him over the phone, in a monotonous voice that he would not be able to make back in time for their anniversary, to go back to Tokyo like they had planned.

Kise turning up; it couldn't have been more of a coincidence.

* * *

_**I say, can you believe it?**_

_**As we're lying on the couch,**_

_**The moment I could see it, yeah**_

_**Yeah, I can see it now.**_

The first meeting at the diner led to more, most of them at the Tarui Beach that was more secluded and had less people. It was a less popular choice, leading to them merely sitting beside the shore and enjoying each other's company in silence.

However, he knew that something was wrong with Kise. Sure the blonde acted all cheerful and hyper as usual, but Kuroko knew better than that. He knew that something was up, with those dark circles under Kise's eyes and the tired, defeated expression that his face took on every second that he thought Kuroko wasn't looking.

In the end, he ended asking Kise about it.

It took a little while for the blonde to tell him about it, but they eventually ended up in Kuroko's apartment on the couch, lying side by side. His arms wound around the blonde as the latter cried into his shoulder.

He learnt about Kise's past, how it had affected him.

He ended up telling Kise about his relationship with Taiga as well.

* * *

_**Do you remember we were there sitting by the water?**_

_**You put your arm around me, for the first time.**_

_**You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter,**_

_**You are the best thing**_

_**That's ever been mine**_

Kise Ryouta found it hard to trust people, particularly because everyone saw him as the perfect person. He was smart, could play almost any sport, was a famous model and was the person that everyone swooned over.

Well, technically, he was perfect.

He had been careful to appear perfect, to disguise the horrible truth that he had come from a broken family and lived with his grandmother, being sick of hearing his parents bicker and fight every day.

He used to come home to the sounds of expensive porcelain and glass being thrown at walls, sounds of his parents screeching at each other, sounds of them slapping and hitting each other.

It was the only imperfect thing in his life.

They had never hit or hurt him in any way, but their fighting had affected him too much. He had grown never to trust anyone, thus he busied himself with school, with basketball, with work.

However, recently he had been forced to move back in with them. His grandmother had been admitted to the hospital, and now he found himself back at that doorstep of the house that he had hated. Even through the door he could hear them screaming at each other.

The words that his father yelled at his mother cut right through his heart.

"_That child isn't mine in the first place!"_

That moment, Kise made that decision.

He ran.

* * *

_**Flash forward and we're taking on the world together**_

_**There's a drawer of my things at your place**_

_**You learn my secrets and figure out why I'm guarded**_

_**You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes**_

After finding Kise at the restaurant, Kuroko offered to let him move in with him. Kise had reluctantly agreed, but he moved in his things bit by bit. Sooner enough, one of the drawers in Kuroko's wardrobe held Kise's things, and there were a few jackets too.

Soon enough, that temporary toothbrush on the bathroom counter became permanent too.

It was then he realized that he had fallen for Kise after all.

It was a normal day, in which that Kise had ended work early, having finished the shoot earlier than expected. He had immediately swung by Kuroko's place with an easy smile and the car keys jingling in his pocket, his heart beating faster than normal.

He had finally mustered up enough courage to ask his beloved Kuroko-cchi on a date.

With his heart pounding in his chest under his expressionless facade, the blue-haired male agreed, and allowed Kise to whisk him away in his sports car (2 months old by the way) to a small hill looking down on their favorite beach. There, Kise surprised him with simple handmade sandwiches and a delicious salad topped with mayonnaise. To top it all off, Kise had brought him his favorite vanilla shake.

As he sipped it, Kuroko reveled in the beauty of the sun that seemed ready to set any moment. Kise smiled wanly at the natural source of light and murmured a single sentence.

"For you, Kuroko-cchi, I am willing to try."

He was so shocked that the vanilla shake dropped from his hands, as he stared at the blonde in shock. The setting sun started to glow a regal golden, shooting out radiant beams of orange and yellow across the sky, illuminating Kise's hair.

It was in that setting sun that Kise leaned over and kissed Kuroko for the very first time.

* * *

_**We've got bills to pay**_

_**We've got nothing figured out**_

_**When it was hard to take, yes**_

_**Yes, this is what I thought about**_

"Well, I didn't expect it to be so…."

Kise's voice trailed off. Kuroko looked up from where he was preparing their breakfast (pancakes with honey and milk) and saw a baffled Kise counting out some bills from a crisp white envelope. A frown creased the perfect brows above the gorgeous topaz eyes that belonged to his now-boyfriend.

"What is it Kise-kun?"

"I don't have enough pay for the rent."

The silence fell on the room like a clap, Kise's words ringing in Kuroko's ears. The blonde walked up to the kitchen table, pulled out a chair and took a seat, pulling out all the bills in the envelope. He smoothed out the neat bills on top of the table and sighed, laying out every single note for Kuroko to see.

The smaller boy remained silent; his lips pressed together, his face still as impassive as ever. However, Kise knew that he was frustrated despite his inexpressiveness.

Bowing his head, Kise gritted his teeth and clenched his right hand, the nails digging into his palm until it hurt.

Stupid, he was supposed to be the one supporting Kuroko-cchi, not the other way around.

He had to take care of Kuroko-cchi.

Who knows? If he was incapable of doing so, Kuroko-cchi might end up leaving like his father had left his mother.

Kuroko-cchi was everything to him.

As he balled up his left hand into a fist, clutching at his worn jeans, bunching the material together, Kise shut his eyes tightly. He couldn't imagine what it would be like without Kuroko-cchi beside him, Kuroko-cchi away from him, Kuroko-cchi leaving him.

It was as though Kuroko-cchi was his air, his water, his food.

His everything; he had become a basic need, a necessity in Kise's life.

Warm arms wrapped around his neck, holding his head close to a warm chest with a strong gentle beating heart, stroking his blonde locks as a sign of comfort. Kuroko planted a soft kiss on top of his head; one hand rubbing soothing circles on his boyfriend's back, pressing his cheek into the silky soft hair.

"Shhh, it's alright Kise-kun, it's alright."

Kuroko held his lover close, pushing the bills aside and using the cookie jar on the table as a paperweight. He pressed kisses into Kise's hair as a comforting gesture, massaging out the knots in his lover's back which were stiff from work.

"It's alright, we'll figure it out. It's nothing."

Kise wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist and buried his face in the apron that Kuroko was wearing, scented with honey, pancakes and the vanilla scent that clung to Kuroko like his permanent perfume. Breathing in his lover's scent, it helped calm Kise down as he eased his feelings down.

Pressing his lips one more time to his lover's blonde locks, Kuroko whispered one more sentence in Kise's ear, his breath reassuring and caressing.

"It's alright Ryouta, we'll find a way."

* * *

_**Do you remember all the city lights on the water?**_

_**You saw me start to believe, for the first time**_

_**You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter**_

_**You are the best thing**_

_**That's ever been mine**_

"Taiga bought me here last time."

Kise blinked in surprise as Kuroko leaned against the railing, his trench coat flapping in the wind. A slight smile quirked at the shorter boy's lips as he stared out across the water at the setting sun.

"Eh, Kuroko-cchi-"

"Tetsuya."

"Eh…?" Kise blinked, baffled at the statement. Why was Kuroko telling him his first name? He already knew it.

"Call me Tetsuya, Ryouta. Well, if you add the 'cchi' and the end it would be…" Kuroko's voice trailed off as his lips stretched into a wide smile.

Kise didn't even register anything after that. A smiling Kuroko with such a genuine smile on his face just stopped his heart; it was the most beautiful thing on the face of this planet.

"Testuya-cchi," whispered Kise, a smile stretching his lips. It sounded really nice on his tongue and it rolled off it most naturally. He grinned at his boyfriend before gazing out into the setting sun.

"This is so beautiful," he commented lazily, looking out at the waters that were dyed a deep rich gold, reflecting the rays of the setting sun which was now slowly sinking behind the clouds and the hills.

"What's more beautiful is later," said Kuroko cryptically, earning him a quirked eyebrow from Kise and a playful punch.

When the sun had gone down fully and the whole small town below them was in darkness, small orbs of light of various colours slowly appeared throughout the streets again. Soon, there was a tiny chain of sparkling lights surrounding the edge of the sea.

Kise was astounded by the beauty of this place. It was just so wonderful, and so intimate.

Kuroko siddled up next to his blonde boyfriend and put his hand over his and looked over the brilliant town below them. Laying his head on Kise's shoulder, he allowed himself a small smile as he snuggled closer.

_He's probably the best thing that happened to me, ne, Daiki?_

* * *

_**And I remember that fight**_

_**Two-thirty A.M.**_

When the fight started, Kuroko couldn't stop the tears that were coming out of his eyes. It was exactly like that time when he fought with Taiga; the time that they had finally broken up.

"_Why are you doing this to me, Taiga? You don't tell me where you keep going!"_

"_I just go back to America okay! It's none of your business!"_

"_Taiga! I'm your—"_

"_Fine! I'm engaged, okay!" _

"…_.what?"_

"_I'm fricking engaged! Didn't you hear me?"_

"_And you are still my boy—"_

"_What about you? Going out with Kise behind my back! Don't give me that blank look! I've seen you at his photoshoots, the guy's fricking famous!"_

"…_Kagami-kun."_

"_What?! Got more to say?"_

"_Get out. Now."_

"Where do you keep going Ryouta?"

His blonde boyfriend froze in the act of slipping on his jacket, not turning around to face him.

"Tetsuya-cchi…it's just tha—"

"What? Secrets?"

Kise was taken aback. Kuroko never snapped at people in general, why was he acting all so defensive?

"No-no, I just have uhh, some work to do…"

"What work? At this time?"

"For goodness sake, Tetsuya-cchi, this is really none of your business, it's just that—"

"What? Are you engaged as well? Like the last time Taiga was—" he began tearing up unconsciously as his vision blurred with tears. Understanding dawned in Kise's mind and a horrified expression slipped onto his face.

"Oh god, no Tetsuya-cchi—"

All that greeted him was a slam of the door and an empty space where his lover last stood.

* * *

_**Everything was slipping right out of our hands**_

_**I ran out crying and you followed me out into the streets**_

Kuroko couldn't see where he was running as he stumbled down the stairs, grabbing onto the handrails to steady himself as he staggered down to the pavement. His feet automatically took to a direction that was familiar, but he was still too overwhelmed by everything.

_Why, Daiki, why?_

His throat choked with sobs as he thought back to the times when he visited his old light in the hospital. Aomine Daiki had been his first crush, his first love, his first light.

He had been everything except for his first kiss, and his first boyfriend.

Aomine had taken to his confession rather seriously, but had turned him down gently, telling him that he didn't swing that way. Surprisingly, Kuroko wasn't heartbroken, but he had remained good friends with his old light, going for him for advice and even comfort in the moments when he was most down. After all, they still were best friends.

"_Don't worry Tetsu. One day, you'll find someone you'll love with all your heart; and he will love you just as much too."_

Aomine had been diagnosed with cancer after he graduated from high school, having collapsed during the semi-finals of the inter-high that year. After that, he had been admitted to the hospital, where Kuroko visited him every day before he went to Osaka. Even after that, he called Aomine every day, just to talk to him and see how he was doing.

Until the day Momoi called him, her voice choked with tears.

"Te-tetsu-chan…it's Dai-chan….he…."

He didn't have the chance to say goodbye.

_What do I do now, Daiki? _

He dumped himself on a swing, having automatically come to the park where he would go with Aomine every time he painstakingly came to visit. He sniffed as the swing creaked under his weight, wiping his eyes with his left sleeve.

_First Taiga, now Ryouta? What am I doing wrong Daiki?_

He sniffed again and swiped the tears away.

_Can I never really love, Daiki? Am I cursed from doing so?_

The tears simply wouldn't stop coming.

* * *

_**Braced myself for the goodbyes**_

_**Cause they're all I've ever known**_

_**But you took me by surprise**_

_**You said "I'll never leave you alone"**_

"Tetsuya-cchi!"

Kise cursed inwardly as he dashed around the neighborhood looking around for the familiar shock of coral blue hair that he had become so accustomed to loving and seeing.

Kuroko was nowhere to be found. The blonde model dashed about, not caring about the sweat that soaked his clothes despite the cold night.

"Damn it and he ran out without his coat too."

Kise continued running, his heart beating fast and hard. He couldn't imagine life without his beloved Kuroko-cchi.

He thought he had finally found someone who loved him truly from the bottom of his heart.

What if…?

His footsteps slowed down as he came to a stop, the thought suddenly being maddeningly provoking.

_What if Tetsuya-cchi didn't really love him in the first place? _

He shook his head; it didn't matter now. What was most important at this moment was to find his lover, even if it meant going to work without sleep tomorrow.

He had promised never to leave his Tetsuya-cchi alone. Never. Ever.

Just as he turned the corner into the neighborhood park, he saw a familiar shock of pale blue hair at the swings. Without even stopping to think, he just dashed up and enveloped the small lithe body in his arms.

"Tetsuya-cchi!"

It was him alright; Kise recognized the clean smell of the mint-flavored shampoo that his lover used as he buried his nose into the soft blue strands of his lover's hair, taking in the familiar scent.

He didn't want to let his Tetsuya-cchi go, not until he left this world.

"I'll never leave you alone, Tetsuya-cchi," he murmured into the coral blue strands that he knew so uniquely belonged to the Kuroko Tetsuya that he loved.

"I know how it feels like to be left all alone, to be unwanted, Tetsuya-cchi," Kise whispered, unconsciously tightening his arms around his lover, burrowing his face deeper into the coral blue strands.

He knew it better than anybody else, to be unwanted by his own parents, to be unloved by everyone. He didn't want of all people, his beloved Tetsuya-cchi to feel what he had when he realized why his parents argued every day.

He had felt so alone.

"That's why I am never letting you, not ever."

That's when his throat choked up with emotions and the tears started to flow down his cheeks.

* * *

_**You said.**_

"_**I remember how it felt sitting by the water,**_

_**And every time I look at you, it's like the first time,**_

_**I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter**_

_**She is the best thing, **_

_**That's ever been mine."**_

Kuroko froze as he felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around him in a comforting embrace. He was so stunned that he didn't know how to react to Kise hugging him.

He had been half expecting to return to the apartment to find Kise gone, with all his things packed and vanished, just like that time with Taiga. He had certainly not been expecting his ex-lover (so he thought) to come chasing after him.

He had definitely not expected that confession from Kise.

The last thing he had expected Kise to do was to cry.

Yet, the blonde that he had thought was so perfect, since the time when they first met each other in middle school back in Teiko, was crying in front of him, his shoulders shuddering with sobs.

At that moment, he realized how much he probably meant to Kise.

He knew about Kise's past, he knew about how Kise had been an unwanted son, he knew about how in the end Kise had been unwanted by almost everyone he knew in his life. That was why he loved basketball so much, because it was with his team, with the Generation of Miracles, with the Kaijou Team.

It was the only place that he had ever felt at home, with only these people.

However he had stopped playing basketball after graduating from high school, which meant he no longer had a refuge to go to anymore. No more teammates to smile with, no more friends to celebrate with, no more fellow playmates to hang out with.

Kuroko probably had been his sole refuge since the time they had gotten together as a couple, his safety float in the middle of the tossing and turning sea of life caught in the middle of a storm of emotions.

He cautiously turned around in the swing and caught Kise's face gently in his hands. Locking eyes with Kise's beautiful shining amber eyes, he swallowed deeply as he looked at his lover's face through tear-stained eyes.

God, he was still so beautiful, still so brilliant.

Still like that time when he stepped into the basketball court at Teikou for the very first time.

He immediately pulled Kise in for a passionate kiss and a tight embrace, hugging his lover like never before. At that moment when Kise reciprocated his initiated kiss, he knew that deep down, Kise was still that young boy who never got over the fact that his parents didn't want him.

In fact, the knowledge of that fact had broken Kise beyond repair.

As he tightened his hold on Kise, he knew he would never ever let him go again, that he had been stupid to even think that Kise would leave him.

"Let's go home, Ryouta."

* * *

_**Hold on, make it last**_

_**Hold on, never turn back**_

_**You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter**_

_**You are the best thing, **_

_**That's ever been mine**_

They made it home, in a mess of tears, sweat and whispered promises. As they stumbled through the front door and into the shower, the tears stopped, the whispers ceased and they merely washed each other in silence, massaging out the knots in each others' back.

They soon ended up in bed, Kuroko in one of Kise's old shirts and boxers while Kise chose not to wear a shirt and merely pulled on drawstring pants over his own underwear, holding each other close. Kise fell asleep first, tired from school, work and all the drama earlier. Kuroko lay quietly in his lover's arms, thinking about what had happened.

Kise explained that he had been working two jobs, the first one being his usual modeling and he had managed to find a job at a bar at night, being a bartender's apprentice. He had done so as he didn't want to put too much burdens on Kuroko and he didn't want him to know about his second job either, so he ended up sneaking out at night.

"_I'm sorry if I looked like I was cheating on you, Tetsuya-cchi. I really, really am. Will you forgive me?"_

Kuroko didn't know what came after this, but he knew that he would hold on, both for Ryouta and himself. He had been finally able to move on, and he wanted to do so. He would leave behind his past with no regrets and continue moving forward.

He wouldn't allow his past to catch up with him now, no not at all.

He had a future with Ryouta, and he was willing to try for him. He was willing to put his all into this relationship, willing to go all out.

After all, he was the best thing that Kuroko had been able to call his.

And he was willing to make it last.

* * *

_**Do you believe it?**_

_**We could make it**_

_**And I can see it now**_

"Well, hello old friend."

Kise smiled as he approached the simple white gravestone in the middle of field. It had been decorated only with royal blue, the signature colour of the Generation of Miracle's former ace's hair colour.

The blonde crouched down in front of the gravestone and traced the kanji of his former teammate and rival's name, smiling nostalgically. He set the yellow roses on the grave, noting the various others there. The neat one cut so crisply must be from Akashi-cchi; the bunch with jade bracelet is probably from Midorima-cchi (it was Virgo's lucky item today, he checked); the one with the seaweed packets is definitely from Murasakibara-cchi, they used to enjoy it after a long day of training together; Momoi-cchi's must be the pink roses, she was the one that stayed with him until the moment he took his last breath. The various bunches of sunflowers, probably from the Toou team members, litter the rest of the grave.

He bit his bottom lip, unsure of what to do now and tucks his coat tails and smiles again at the gravestone.

"We're happy now, I mean, I work as a pilot for Japan Airlines and I mostly do internal flights so that I can be with him more often. He's happy, teaching children at a kindergarten, I mean, it's the best cause well, he loves them," he gave a short laugh, watching the flower petals sway slightly to the wind.

"We found a place near the local airport just a few months ago; it's not too far from the kindergarten too, so it suits both of us. He still misses you, you know, I mean, we all do, don't we?" he traced the curve of the jade bracelet set on the grave, his face taking on a serious expression unconsciously.

"Thank you for telling me about him, telling him about me," he took in a deep breath before continuing, "If it wasn't for you… I don't know where the two of us will be now."

"I think you are a really great friend you know, to all of us. Momoi-cchi's able to move on and live happily now, doing what she likes and all that. As usual, Midorima-cchi pretends he doesn't care, but he misses you too, Murasakibari-cchi's happy being his own boss, baking in his own bakery and opening his own pastry shop. Akashi-cchi…well you know our captain, he still hasn't' lost," his lips take on a fond smile.

He bit his lower lip unconsciously, lost in his own thoughts and emotions as he tries to sort out what he wants to say.

"I just can't thank you enough… Sure, this might only be the beginning, but I believe that we will have a great future together. We will eventually adopt children, we will raise them, we will grow old together, we will eventually leave…like you did, but it will be some time ne?"

"I can see it, and I can believe that I will have a future with someone who really loves me. Remember what you told Tetsuya-cchi? He did find someone he loves with all his heart, and this someone, is loves him equally as much, perhaps even more."

"Nothing much to say, if I say anymore, you might be bored," an amused smile graces his face and the topaz eyes look alive once more.

"After all, I do say about the same things every year, I'm not so creative," he sighs as he stands up and brushes dust off his coat.

"Thank you so much."

His eyes fall on a bouquet of flowers that are unique like Momoi-cchi's, and he knows who put those flowers there. He blinked back tears hurriedly and shoved his hands in the pocket of his trench coat, inhaling the cool autumn air.

"I better hurry along to the gathering dinner, I'm always the last there somehow."

His gaze fell on the purple lilac that is placed neatly closest to the gravestone and he bowed his head quietly, making a silent vow to his friend up in heaven.

_I'll take care of him, I promise, Aomine-cchi._

With that, Kise Ryouta stood up straight, and strode down to the road where he knew his beloved Tetsuya-cchi was waiting for him in their car, and they would drive to the restaurant near Teikou to eat with all the members of the Generation of Miracles, and toast their beloved teammate who had left them ten years ago.

It was the best life that he could ever had.

Tetsuya-cchi was the best thing that ever been his, that he could call "mine".

And he was sure in heaven, Aomine Daiki agreed too.

* * *

**A/N**

**Phewww this one took a while! KiKuro is my second OTP in Kuroko no Basuke and this is songfic for hanaderp on twitter Sorry it took so long Hanaaaaa /huggles/**

**Just a little background about flower language:**

**Yellow roses mean friendship or devotion, which was more for the within the Generation of Miracles.**

**Pink roses mean love, yes I ship Aomine x Momoi, which is my hetro OTP in Kurobas OTL**

**Sunflowers mean respect, which I think was more for the team member of Toou, cause Aomine played with them.**

**Purple lilacs mean first love. Yes I couldn't resist putting in a bit of AoKuro there ( gomen w )**

**Hope you enjoyed this one!**


End file.
